


While on Shore Leave

by Amariahellcat



Series: Shepard and Ryder [2]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: After Party, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Biotic Shepard, Citadel DLC, F/M, Feels, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Mass Effect 3: Citadel, Matchmaking, Mild Smut, No Shepard without Vakarian, Paragon Commander Shepard, Shep hasn't romanced anyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 09:43:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12187590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amariahellcat/pseuds/Amariahellcat
Summary: The party was a success, and with a few days left to Shore Leave, Arisa Shepard realizes she needs to say something to Garrus; she’s been a coward and needs to step up, dammit.She just gets a little waylaid playing matchmaker for everyone else.Standalone Oneshot.





	While on Shore Leave

**Author's Note:**

> STANDALONE ONESHOT. DOES NOT FIT INTO ANY OF MY OTHER SERIES. Mass Effect 3, Citadel DLC. 
> 
> This thing started out with me seeing fanart of Kaidan and Miranda together and going ‘huh. That could work!”
> 
> Which led to Shep and Garrus playing matchmaker while on Shore Leave - because when the hell else would the two have met?
> 
> Which led to thoughts of what if the losers aren’t together yet either?
> 
> And now. It’s 31 pages. I have been working on this on and off the entire time I’ve been sick - like i said, workaholic, if I’m not dead in bed i need to be doing something - and I’m just so happy it’s done omg.
> 
> Shout out to @kittenkakt and @ariannadi (MartiniSeptember) for basically being my betas, especially with this monstrosity omg. I think I managed to keep everyone more or less IC? I hope.
> 
> Enjoy? ♥

Arisa wakes to light slanting across her face and winces, rolling away with a grumble and yanking a pillow over her head.

She can hear faint voices downstairs, and memories resurface as she reluctantly comes awake, sighing and pushing herself up to stretch languidly. Then she glances at the digital readout on her omni and frowns.  _How the hell did I sleep in so late?_

It had been a fun party - celebrating defeating her clone, amongst other things - and while she feels perfectly fine thanks to her biotics and implants, she knows the rest of the crew is likely operating at less than 100%.

 _That's fine_ , Arisa forces herself from the bed and pads silently to the walk-in closet of the suite, tiles cool against her feet,  _Another day left to Shore Leave._

Two days, counting today, and then a  _half_  day, but that was mostly meant for tying up loose ends and doing counts on the Normandy, not nursing hangovers.

_The crew could use the morale boost. I know I need the break._

Not that she would admit that to anyone. Not even Garrus, when he'd asked, though she'd been close to letting her exhaustion slip out.

But no, he had enough on his own mind; she wouldn't burden her best friend with her own endless worries.

_Okay, enough of that. I smell coffee._

Arisa dresses in her usual slacks and a tank top, pulling her new N7 hoodie on over top and just enjoying the softness of it for a moment -  _I need to thank EDI for getting me this, still. Freaking cozy_ \- before heading quietly out of her room.

The chair on the upper balcony is vacant, which means Garrus is already awake -  _"I'm fine here, Shepard, best way to keep my Fringe from impacting on anything. Don't worry about it."_  - and she lets out a quiet hum of disappointment that she smothers halfway down the stairs.

Yes, maybe she'd been hoping to spend time with him while they were here - even if he  _did_  tend to actually stop and talk rather than constantly calibrating, these days - but if Garrus hadn't bothered to wake her up, he could still be in the apartment. Or off doing his own things.

_You have no claim on him, he's free to do whatever he wants._

Or  _whoever_  he wants, a little voice whispers, one that she shoves violently away as she hits the main floor.

"Morning." she greets as she steps into the kitchen, nodding at the two men occupying the space as she makes a beeline for the coffee maker.

"Morning, Lola," Vega doesn't take his eyes off the frying pan he's handling, flipping what looks to be eggs with an easy twist of his wrist, "Want some eggs?"

"Think I'll pass, Vega. I'm just here for the coffee."

The man snorts, "You and Vakarian, all I ever see you two with is coffee. Gotta  _eat_  sometimes, y'know?"

"You saw Garrus this morning?" she asks, pretending to be entirely focused on adding sugar to her coffee.

"Left not long ago, actually," Cortez answers instead, taking a sip from his own mug, "Chatted briefly while he drank his, then headed out. You missed him by maybe ten minutes?"

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Mentioned checking out his old apartment, but nothing else. Everything okay, Shepard?"

"Of course." she lies, gripping her mug just a little tighter as the disappointment sets in again, taking a sip to try and chase the feeling away. She hadn't even  _considered_  that maybe Garrus wouldn't  _want_  to stay at her apartment with the others, if his own was intact.

_So much for getting him alone to talk._

"You ready for these eggs, Steve? Cause they're about to rock your  _world_."

"That's a mighty big claim, James. You sure you can back that up?"

"Hells  _yes_  I do, prepare yourself."

Arisa goes very still, turning carefully to stare at the two over her shoulder, wondering if she's hearing things.

 _Steve_  and  _James_. Not  _Esteban_  and  _Mr. Vega_.

_Did I **miss**  something, here, or...?_

She sips at her coffee, watching discreetly as the two chat, a certain...  _aura_  around them, now, a familiarity and friendliness that definitely hadn't been there before.

Hiding what she's  _sure_  is a ridiculous grin behind her coffee mug, Arisa slowly slinks away from the kitchen, taking the back route out past the downstairs bedroom to try and not disturb them... and pausing outside the door when she hears soft voices inside, memories re-surging.

_Tali was pretty messed up last night - if she's really sick, whoever was feeding her drinks **will**  be getting a talking to-_

_"You're sure you're alright, Ma'am? Party must have been a fun one."_

"I'm  _fine_ , Kal. Just a little hungover. And my head hurts."

 _"Should you be getting more sleep? I won't keep you if you're-_ "

" _Kal_. I am  _fine_. When are you getting to the Citadel?"

Arisa freezes with her hand above the door panel, listening quietly. She recognizes Tali's voice immediately - no longer slurred or high-pitched as it had been after Spirits knew how many drinks - and remembers the second after a moment of thought.

Kal'Reegar. The Quarian who'd been on Tali's team back on Haestrom, and who had helped defend her against Exile.

She had thought that,  _maybe_ , there was something between the two, back then, but Tali hadn't mentioned any further contact with him since, so Arisa had assumed she was wrong.

Now, it seemed like she'd been totally  _right_.

_"In a few hours or so. Are you sure you're up to meeting me, ma'am? If you're too-"_

"Kal. What did I say about calling me 'ma'am'?" Tali sounds so put out Arisa almost laughs, holding back at the last second.

_"Er, sorry, Tali'Zorah. Old habits."_

"That's better." Tali grumbles, and Arisa slips away before the quarian can notice her, not wanting to eavesdrop any longer.

 _Good for Tali. She deserves someone dedicated._ Kal'Reegar had been willing to lay his life down for Tali at least twice since Arisa had met him, and that made him okay in her books.  _I'll have to catch her before she goes to meet him, make sure she knows she's welcome to keep the room as long as we're here._

Quarians probably couldn't do... well, anything more  _intimate_  while outside of sterilized areas, but some privacy would be nice, she figured.

 _So that's two couples I need to subtly try and support,_  Arisa crosses back out past the front stairs towards the living area, pausing and grinning at the figures on the couches,  _and one couple who's thankfully already figured things out._

EDI returns the smile when she spots her crossing over, putting a finger to her lips in a gesture that is just so  _human_  Arisa wonders, again, if the AI isn't even more complex then they all assumed.

"He okay?" Arisa keeps her voice soft as per the other's request, nodding her head at the man slumped completely against her.

"Jeff had too much to drink. I believe he claimed that the boys were 'feeding him shots'. It is, however, entirely his own fault." EDI's still smiling as she speaks, one hand lifting to run over the pilots back carefully, "He requested time to take a nap, and asked that I stay with him. I do not mind. This is something that 'couples do', is it not?"

"That it is, EDI," Arisa shakes her head a little, amused, "Let me know if you need anything. Oh, and, thanks for the hoodie, EDI. It's really nice."

"No thanks necessary, Shepard. I am pleased that you like it."

She leaves them to it with another nod - peaking quickly into the bar area and confirming its empty save a few piles of bottles - before taking the front stairs back up to the second level.

The second upstairs bedroom is empty, but she finds Liara sitting on one of the centre couches, a cup of tea steaming on the table beside her and a data pad held in one hand. Glyph is strangely absent, and the asari is  _smiling_ , a soft little tilt of her lips, the first true smile she's worn since Thessia.

"Good news?" Arisa murmurs, sitting across from her - trying to give her space if the data pad has something  _personal_  scrolling across it.

"Yes. Feron reported in; he's here on the Citadel, safe and sound." Liara focuses that smile on  _her_ , then, the tension in her shoulders not as steely as the day before, "I thought I might ask him over for tea, later on, to catch up in person. If that's alright, of course."

"Please do. The apartment's open to everyone while we're here, Liara." she sips her coffee, thinking,  _Hmm, they **did**  seem close, after... I wonder._

"I see those wheels turning in your head, Shepard. And to answer that question, Feron and I are just  _friends_ ," Liara pauses then, a hint of mischief to her smirk, "For now."

"Damn. Go get him, girl." Arisa laughs, "Make the most of Shore Leave, right? Probably the last one we'll get, before... you know."

"I know." Liara leans forwards, giving her a  _look_ , "Which means  _you_  need to make the most of it too, Shepard. Take a chance."

She  _almost_  blushes, hiding behind her coffee, "I don't know what you're-"

"Please, don't insult me. I've known since the SR1. How  _he_  doesn't know I have no idea, however." The asari's reaching across the table and squeezing her hand, suddenly, and it's all Arisa can do to swallow and squeeze back, "Take a chance, Shepard. You're carrying this whole damn war on your shoulders, trying to bear it alone - stop. Let  _someone_  in. You deserve something good, just as much as any of us."

"I...  _was_  thinking of saying something." she admits, slowly, and this time she  _does_  flush at the look Liara gives her, squeezing her hand one more time before releasing her.

"Go get him, girl." Liara echoes, and Arisa excuses herself awkwardly, downing the rest of her coffee in one mighty gulp and leaving the mug on one of the tables before hurrying away down the front stairs again, hearing Liara laugh behind her.

_Okay, I deserved that. Time to stop being a damn coward._

Arisa yanks her boots on and waves briefly to EDI before trudging out into the hall, bringing up her omnitool and dialing a number she's had long since memorized before her nerve can run out.

 _"Shepard."_  Garrus sounds surprised but happy, a hint of something in his sub-vocals that she can't quite read,  _"I didn't realize you were awake. How's it going?"_

"Good, just made the rounds of the apartment. Appears I have a few new  _couples_  to keep an eye on."

He makes a sound that's somewhere between a trill and a laugh,  _"Vega and Cortez one of those couples?"_

"Have they been flirting all  _morning_? Fuck, am I blind or did they keep this  _very_  well hidden?"

_"The latter, considering I hadn't guessed it, either. Who else are we keeping an eye on?"_

That he said  _we_  makes her stupidly giddy, but she just steps into the elevator and says "I'll tell you later. Wondered if you'd be up for a proper coffee, at Apollo's? Figured we could hang out, enjoy our last couple days of Shore Leave."

He hesitates for a moment, and Arisa damn near panics and rescinds the offer before he says  _"...okay. Wanted to, ah, talk to you, anyways. Coffee sounds good. I was just at my old apartment. Meet you there in ten?"_

"See you soon, Vakarian." she turns off her comm. then and leans back against the elevator wall for a moment, taking deep breaths.

She is Commander Goddamn Shepard, she does  _not_  get nervous about talking to her best friend about... feelings.

Feelings for him.

Feelings that are  _definitely_  more than friendship, and that have  _been_  more then friendship for years.

_Okay. You can do this. Breathe. Just... have to tell him. And either he'll reciprocate or he'll turn you down._

_He's probably going to turn you down, but that's okay. At least you'll know._

Arisa clenches her fists, grits her teeth, and strides purposefully through the crowds when the elevator stops, headed for the rapid transit to get back to the main areas of the Citadel.

_Spirits, I hope I don't regret this._

* * *

 Arisa hovers near the rapid transit console, trying not to stare at the elevator but inevitably finding her gaze drawn back there.

She doesn't know exactly  _where_  on the Citadel Garrus' old apartment had been, but she knew it wasn't on the Presidium; he'd said himself, it was a cheap bachelors unit from his C-Sec days, back when all he needed was a space to crash.

_And if he chooses to stay there the next couple of nights, well, that's up to him. We can still talk today, or tomorrow, or-_

She's saved from her internal argument by the elevator opening and Garrus stepping out, his mandibles flaring a little when he spots her and heads over.

"Hey, Shepard, sorry for the delay. I, uh, got some news on my way here."

That makes her freeze, lips pursed, "Good news, or...?"

His mandibles flare again, and this time she can tell he's grinning, "Dad and Solana made it off Palaven. They're safe, for now."

"Really? That's great, Garrus!" she steps into him without thinking, wrapping her arms around him in a hug meant to be comforting and supportive. They've been best friends for nearly four years, surely she's earned the right to hug him?

 _Except_ , her mind reminds her when he goes stiff,  _he's a turian, and they don't tend to show **any**  sort of affection in public._

Arisa's ready to pull away and start apologizing when suddenly his arms are wrapping around her in return, anchoring her gently against him, breath huffing against her hair.

"Thanks, Shepard." he says, and the subtle intimacy of the situation makes her heart pound, shoving away yet another flush as she pulls gently out of his hold and grins.

"Alright, big guy, let's go get that coffee. My treat."

"Sounds like a plan. I could only handle so much of Vega's terrible flirting before I had to leave those two alone."

"Okay, seriously, how long have they been hiding this? I am normally  _much_  better at picking up on this crap."

"Who knows, but at least they don't seem to need any  _help_. Leaves us free to watch over those other couples you'd mentioned. Though, back on the topic of parents... have you heard from your mother?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. She uh, called me, actually. A couple days before the party."

"She's doing alright?"

"Great, actually. She's been promoted to Rear Admiral - she uh, just wanted to call and say she was proud of me."

"That's great, Shepard," Garrus echoes her words from before, wrapping his arm briefly around her shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze, "Glad to hear it."

"Thanks." she both wants to pull away and lean further into the contact, saved the dilemma when Garrus removes his arm after a moment, "So. What's happening with your old apartment?"

"Just wanted to check out the damage, see if there was anything worth salvaging. I didn't really  _keep_  much there, truth be told, so it's easier to pitch the majority. Already arranged to have the few things I want sent back to the Normandy."

"The apartments in one piece, though?"

"More or less, yeah, but I already turned it over to the Ward, got back my deposit. Can't see myself needing it, again." he shoots her a look, "Hopefully you, ah, don't mind me hanging out at your place with everyone else, the next couple days? Or that I'll be staying on the Normandy for the foreseeable future."

_I wouldn't have it any other way._

"What kind of best friend would I be if I kicked you out on the streets?" she mumbles, punching his arm lightly, "You're always welcome, Garrus."

"Glad to hear it." he chuckles, and the sound makes something warm settle in her chest, something familiar and  _so_  damn addictive, "So... who's this other couple we need to keep an eye on?"

"Well, I  _may_  have accidentally eavesdropped on Tali this morning..."

They reach the stairs leading down to the main market and start down them as she speaks, Apollo's off to the left.

"Uh huh. And...?"

"Annnnd, she was talking to Kal'Reegar. Remember him? The Marine from Haestrom?"

"Ohh,  _him_. The 'Yes, Ma'am.' guy? Yellow and red suit, I think?"

"Yup, that's the one. I didn't stick around - I wasn't  _trying_  to eavesdrop - but he's coming to the Citadel  _today_ , and I wanted to try and help them find some privacy..."

Arisa trails off as they draw closer to the cafe, eyes narrowing on a pair of familiar looking faces at one of the tables.  _Wait, is that-?_

"Shoot me for thinking about this, but part of me wonders if he calls her 'ma'am' in be-"

" _Get down!"_  Arisa hisses and grabs his wrist, diving behind the hedge that surrounds the cafe and dragging Garrus with her. "Don't let them see you!"

"Who? What's going on?" Garrus goes awkwardly to his knees beside her, peering warily over the hedge, "Who are we  _hiding_  from?"

"Look,  _there_? It's-" Arisa pops up just enough to peek over the top, eyes narrowed to focus. "Kaidan and...  _Miranda_? I'm not seeing things, right?"

"No, that's  _definitely_  them. Huh. Not a pair I'd have expected to see having coffee together."

"Are they on a date?" she's straining to hear now, blessing her Cerberus implants when she manages to pick up a few fragments.

"... thanks for joining me, Miranda. The party wasn't the best place to talk."

"I've quite enjoyed myself, Major Alenko. We may have to do this again sometime."

"Please, call me Kaidan. And I... I'd like that."

"Then it's a date, Kaidan."

"They  _are_  on a date!" Arisa whispers, noting the bright smile Miranda's wearing - one she thinks she'd only seen once or twice before, and only ever around Orianna - and the shy, flustered expression on Kaidan.

Garrus makes a soft noise beside her, one that almost sounds like a croon, "Shit, Shepard, I'm sorry-"

"This is  _awesome_. I'd never considered it, but they'd actually go really  _well_  together, and-" Arisa cuts off when she notices Garrus staring at her, mandibles slack, "What?"

"You're not... upset?"

"No? If they're interested in each other, this is  _great_ , why would I be upset?"

"Aren't you and Kaidan, uh...?"

"Fuck no. He's like my brother." Arisa goes back to peering over the hedge, ignoring the look of surprise the turian's adopted, "Okay, looks like they're heading out - shit, Garrus, they're coming this way!  _Move_!"

They both stumble awkwardly down the steps to the lower landing, trying to stay behind the greenery - and Arisa curses when she realizes just how much her clothes make her stand out, since near every shirt she owns has a giant red and white stripe down one arm.

"Garrus, here! Just, stand with your back to the stairs - probably won't notice you from behind - okay good, let me just-"

Arisa shuffles herself close against his front, emblazoned arm facing away from the stairs, just barely able to watch over his shoulder as the pair makes their way -  _thankfully_  - up to opposite stairwell.

She only lets out a sigh and steps away once they're clear, running a hand through her short hair and grinning a little manically, "Okay, enough being sneaky for now, I need that coffee."

"Now hold on a minute, Shepard," there's a confused rumble to Garrus' sub-vocals as he follows her back up the stairs, along with a tone she can't identify, "about Kaidan-"

"Hey, before I forget - can  _all_  turians drink coffee, or is it like a hit and miss?"

"Depends on the turian, some are more sensitive to Levo then others. Now stop dodging the damn question."

"Coffee first. Then deep, soulful conversation. Find us a table, Vakarian. I'll grab the drinks."

Garrus grumbles but does as asked, and Arisa goes to get their coffees; hers black with 2 sugar, his straight black.

She heads down to the table he's claimed - down on the lower portion in the corner, away from other people,  _smart_ , - and sits, setting his coffee in front of him and grinning wryly at the look he gives her.

"Alright, Garrus. Ask away."

"Were you ever with Kaidan?"

"No." Arisa downs a mouthful of coffee, grimacing at the burn, "And before you ask, I was never with Liara, either."

"That's funny, considering nearly the entire crew of the SR1 saw Kaidan go up to your cabin, the night before Ilos. Everyone kind of just assumed... you know."

She snorts, "Then clearly no one stuck around long enough to see me kick him out. And then kick  _Liara_  out not ten minutes later. I told them both the same thing: that they were my friends,  _close_  friends, but I wasn't interested in anything else."

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't seem to recall you taking a fancy to anyone before the Collector Base, either," he gives her a long look, and she tries not to squirm, "Are you seriously telling me you've been flying solo this whole time?"

_Been flying solo my whole life, Vakarian, but we can talk about that later._

"What's so strange about that? Unless  _I'm_  wrong, you didn't have any romantic attachments yourself."

"Shepard, you could have had damn near  _anyone_  on that ship and you know it. At least half the squad would have jumped at the opportunity."

 _Does that include you?_  she thinks but doesn't say, lips sealed by fear. Being brave on the battlefield is one thing - she can charge into a swarm of husks or shoot down a banshee without so much as breaking a sweat.

Being brave about confessing feelings for her best friend -  _to_  her best friend - is much, much harder.

Arisa realizes she's been silent for too long when his mandibles flick, coughing and covering it by taking a sip of her coffee, scrambling, now, for something to say.

And thanking the Spirits when they're interrupted by a certain purple-suited quarian, waving as she dashes over to their table with a distinct  _bounce_  to her step.

 _Ah_ , Arisa's lips twitch, spotting  _another_  familiar quarian standing several feet back,  _That would be why._

"Shepard!" Tali's voice is as excited as she's ever heard it, eyes blinking rapidly behind her mask, "I need to ask a favor."

Arisa  _tries_  not to seem too smug, shooting Garrus a look - he hides his chuckle in his coffee - before nodding, "Ask away, Tali."

"Well, you see... Kal'Reegar's here, for a day or two. And we were hoping to... y'know. Catch up." Tali's wringing her wrists in that nervous way she has, dodging glances back and forth, "But it can be  _hard_  to find somewhere that accepts quarians, on the Citadel, so I wondered if-"

"Tali." Arisa sets her coffee down so she can turn fully towards the younger woman, taking her hands and squeezing, "The spare bedroom of the apartment is yours to use while we're here. I trust you to be safe... and to put a strong lock on the door if you need to."

"You are  _amazing_ , Shepard!" the quarian's laughing and hugging her suddenly, and all Arisa can manage in reply is a startled  _oof_  before Tali's pulling away and babbling something else,  _definitely_  bouncing as she heads back to where Kal'Reegar is still standing.

Kal himself definitely looks in their direction and gives them a salute before he's being pulled away by Tali, and Arisa watches for a moment before letting her forehead hit the table with a groan.

Garrus is laughing, "You okay over there, Shepard?"

"For such a small thing, she squeezes  _tightly_." she gasps, "Here's hoping none of the others are  _that_  grateful for any assistance."

"Considering what you've told me, I don't think our help is really necessary."

Arisa lifts her head, giving him a look.

Garrus just grins, "Well, that's Tali taken care of. I think Vega and Cortez are alright on their own. We  _know_  EDI and Joker are fine."

"Liara said she was having Feron over today."

"I think we can easily assume that Liara has her own affairs firmly under control and needs no assistance from us."

"Ken and Gabby could use a push."

"If she hasn't already pushed him off a balcony, you mean."

" _Garrus_."

"Alright alright, so Ken and Gabby. And..."

"Miranda and Kaidan. I want to at least  _try_  and offer support there, if I can." Arisa sits up, staring at her coffee cup, "Kaidan... he's been hurt. He deserves to be happy."

"That sounds concerning, Shepard. What happened?"

She shakes her head, "Not my story to tell, Garrus. Just... the last girlfriend he had - that I  _know_  of - messed him up bad. If I ever meet her... let's just say it won't be pretty."

"You're a good friend, Shepard." there's sincerity in his tone, along with something softer she can't name, and Arisa pushes to her feet, turning away before he can see the flush that's covered her face.

"C'mon, let's go wander. Check out the sights. May as well while we're here, right?"

"...sure. Why not." she hears his chair scrape back as he stands and turns once she's sure her flush has faded, sharing a grin.

They talk as they head down into the market proper, this and that, carefully avoiding mentions of the war - and the whole time Arisa is biting her lip, that little voice screaming  _you are a coward, Arisa Shepard. A goddamn coward._

She shoves it away and just lets herself enjoy Garrus' presence, telling herself  _later._

* * *

 It's the night cycle by the time they make it back to the apartment - they'd wandered around and grabbed dinner on the way back, Garrus regaling her with tales from his C-Sec days that made her laugh.

She's wondering how to subtly talk to Kaidan about Miranda  _without_  admitting that they'd been eavesdropping - hitting the code on the door lock and turning to ask Garrus as they step inside - when he jerks his head and silences her with a look.

Kaidan himself springs up from where he'd been sitting on the couch, striding over to them with a distinctly excited,  _nervous_  grin.

"Shepard! Good to see you. I was, ah, hoping to..." Kaidan stops, clears his throat, continues, "...get some advice, actually."

"Maybe I should go...?" Garrus hums, but Kaidan shakes his head.

"No, you're fine. You're good. Everything's good,  _great_ , actually, I just, ah-"

"Calm down,  _Major_ ," Arisa gives him what she  _hopes_  is a reassuring grin, following when he paces back towards the fireplace, "What's on your mind?"

"You know, uh, your friend. Miranda. She's ah... we started talking, at the party last night. Seems like a pretty smart woman, confident,  _dependable_." Kaidan's nearly walking in circles now, and Arisa catches a hum of amusement from Garrus, "We um... we went for  _coffee_ , today, and... I dunno. I just..."

"Kaidan,  _breathe_."

"...I really like her, Shepard. A lot. I mean, I know that's fast - is that fast? - and I don't  _know_  her know her, but I know she brought you back, and helped you stop the Collectors. I know she's been through a lot for her sister. I know she's  _gorgeous_ , and talented, and she seems  _interested_ , but I don't know. Should I be doing this? Is this even appropriate? I just-"

" _Kaidan_."

He finally stops pacing at his name, and Arisa takes the chance to settle a hand on his shoulder, giving him a tiny grin, "You really like her, huh?"

"I do, yeah."

"Then go for it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I just... what about the regs?"

" _Fuck_  the regs." Arisa can't help the slight snap to the words, hearing Garrus give a surprised trill behind her, "We're at the tail end of the war to end all wars, we're probably going to be going back to Earth to take on the Reapers in a matter of days, and we could all damn well  _die_  within the week. If you like her,  _go for it_. Take a chance. Don't let fear hold you back. You might regret it, otherwise."

_Practice what you preach, Shepard._

"I... you know what, you're right. I need to stop holding back, for once." Kaidan puffs up for a moment before deflating again, looking suddenly skeptic, "But... we only have one more day of Shore Leave. What would be best?"

"Got you covered, Major." Arisa's typing on her omni as she speaks, an idea sparking that  _should_  do the trick for all of the couples involved, "And... there. A night out at Purgatory for anyone interested... with an invite sent to Miranda, as well. I'll get space and everything sorted out; tomorrow night, you  _take_  that chance, Kaidan."

"I will. Definitely." Kaidan grips her hand then, smiling, "Thank you, Shepard. For... everything."

"Don't even worry about it." she squeezes his hand back and then watches him slink off towards the bar area -  _ah, he's the one that was sleeping on that couch_  - before starting when Garrus is suddenly right beside her, giving her a look. "What?"

Garrus only shakes his head, humming, "Quite the fancy night out for the crew, Shepard. Still don't know how we got so lucky, but I'm not complaining. There a certain dress code for this shindig?"

"Wear whatever you like, Vakarian; I know  _I'll_ be dressing up. Don't get many chances to act like a civilian."

"I  _suppose_  I'll tag along. You'll need your partner around to help with all the matchmaking schemes, I imagine."

Heart thumping, Arisa gives him a downright predatory smirk, eyes flashing as she heads towards the stairs, "Well, it is a night for  _taking chances_. We'll just have to see what happens, I suppose."

She could be imagining things, or the look in Garrus' eyes  _could_  be as dark and feral as she thinks it is, his rumbling chuckle making a shiver roll through her, "Can't wait."

_Neither can I._

* * *

 

Arisa is up and heading for her shower the second her alarm goes off the next morning, wanting to be out of the apartment before the majority of the squad wakes up.

Truth be told, she has absolutely  _nothing_  suited to a night at the Club - the dress is not an option, because if she can help it she'll never wear the damn thing again - so popping out to the shops is a necessity.

 _One bonus to having really short hair_ , she thinks as she finishes and towels herself off,  _don't have to wait for it to dry._

She's dressed and leaving the room in seconds, padding softly across the landing when she spots Garrus still asleep in the chair. She doesn't fool herself into thinking he won't wake up when she leaves - if the footsteps don't wake him up, the door definitely will - but she still tries her best not to startle him, creeping down the stairs and over to where EDI's mobile body is perched at the corner of the couch, Joker stretched out along the length of it.

"EDI," Arisa whispers once she's in range, the AI's eyes opening immediately, "You up to coming shopping with me? I need something for tonight." And EDI didn't need any help in the relationship department, so she was a safe shopping companion.

"Of course, Shepard. Just a moment."

Arisa steps back as the AI carefully lifts herself from the couch, sliding a pillow under Jokers head and again making her wonder just how many human habits she's adopted.

"Alright, I am ready when you are. What exactly are we shopping for?"

Arisa just motions for her to follow, waiting until they're in the hallway to speak; better to let the squad get what sleep they can.

"I need an outfit for tonight, and some makeup; the little I had is pretty dried up."

"I see. And what kind of outfit are you looking for?"

"Oh, I donno. Leather, maybe... something sexy, but in a tasteful way. Not something one of the dancers on Omega would wear."

"Understood. I have located several shops down in the main markets that could carry such clothing, as well as the makeup requested. Shall we head there now?"

"Let's go. The sooner the shopping is done, the sooner we can get ready."

"Shepard, if I might ask... what is the purpose of this get together, exactly?"

Arisa shrugs, leaning back against the elevator wall when they reach it, "Just... a night of fun for the squad, before we head into hell. A night to relax. They've earned it."

"Yes... but I also overheard you telling Major Alenko to  _'take a chance and go for it'_ , last night. Was that meant only for the Major, or for everyone?"

"Everyone. There's so little happiness in this war, EDI. We need to take what moments we can. And if that means finding love, or something like it, while we're here, then I'll do everything I can to support that."

"You are, truly, one of a kind, Shepard." the AI smiles, and there's something  _knowing_  in her look, then, "Be sure to take that chance yourself."

Arisa swallows, vaguely considers lying. Then realizes it's about time she stops being a coward.

"I plan to," she says, gesturing once the elevator's stopped, "Now let's go find some clothes so we can spend the night living it up."

* * *

 They arrive back to a bustling and energetic apartment, everyone else now up and awake and moving around, drinking coffee or eating breakfast or just talking.

"Good morning, Soldiers!" Arisa calls out teasingly, grinning at the echoes of "Good morning, Shepard!" that greet her back.

She takes a sip of the to-go coffee she'd grabbed and shares a nod with EDI, "Go on upstairs, I'll be there in a minute."

"Yes, Shepard."

"Hey, uh, everything okay, Commander?" Joker's eyeing EDI - specifically, the  _bag_  she's carrying - from his seat near the kitchen, looking curious and slightly worried, "EDI messaged me that you guys were shopping, but she wouldn't tell me what she bought."

"You'll see soon. Oh, and Joker?" Arisa can't help it; she leans in, giving him a mischievous grin, "You can thank me later."

The pilot swallows roughly, silent as his gaze darts back to the AI headed up the stairs, and Arisa steps back and flips her own bags over her shoulder, lifting her voice.

"Alright, guys! We've got the whole lower bar of the VIP section to ourselves tonight, starting at 16:00 hours. Ladies!" Arisa grins wider, walking backwards towards the stairs, "Report to the Commander's Suite for girl-talk and whatever other crap normal women get into before a party."

Once the laughter's died down, she continues, "Men! Do whatever the hell you want - just don't blow anything up. We rendezvous at the Normandy tomorrow at 17:00 hours; let's make the last night of Shore Leave  _count_!"

Arisa briefly catches Garrus' eye as she turns - mandibles flared wide and looking amused as hell - and shoots him a wink and a finger-gun, heading up the stairs with his startled laughter chasing after her.

She enters the room and spots EDI struggling with her zipper, biting back a snicker as she sets her bags down on the bed, "Need a hand there, EDI?"

"If you wouldn't mind, Shepard. I cannot seem to get the zipper all the way up."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of women's clothing,"  Arisa can't help mumbling, taking charge of the offending obstacle and pulling it up in a single smooth movement, grinning wider when the door swishes open behind her, "All done. Looks great."

"Thank you, Shepard. I hope Jeff will like it."

It's nothing extravagant - just a simple little black dress, paired with the usual boot-skin she wore and a slightly tweaked visor - but it fit her well, and made the AI look just a little more human.

"Joker's going to love it, EDI."

EDI looks incredibly pleased at that, and Arisa turns her attention to the other women that have entered the room, taking a quick head count.

Liara and Tali are already laying things out on the bed - the asari an elegant looking dress, the quarian several different belts and scarves - while Gabby and Kasumi stay near the doorway, chatting quietly.

Arisa frowns. She'd known not  _everyone_  would be coming - Samara had politely declined, Miranda said she'd be getting ready at the hotel she was staying in, and Jack just plain hadn't answered - but...

"Gabby, where's Traynor?"

"Last I saw, still glued to the Normandy's washrooms, Shepard." Gabby shrugs, giving a wry little grin, "Thought she was okay, yesterday, but... some people just can't hold their liquor, I guess. Thanks for the invite, by the way."

"No problem. How're things with Kenneth?"

"Oh, uh, y'know... he's stopped commenting on  _other_  women, at least, though he's still terrible at flirting."

"I  _told_  her she needs to just shove him against a wall and take control," Kasumi pipes up, grinning like a cat, "What? It's  _true_."

"I actually agree with Kasumi, strangely," Liara smiles secretively, keeping her eyes on her dress, "Kenneth  _does_  seem the type to not clue in to things without a push."

"Alright, so that's a goal tonight. Gabby, what're you planning to wear?"

"Oh, uh, just... this?" Gabby's blushing, motioning down at her standard gear, "Don't really have anything suitable for, uh, partying."

 _You and me both, Gabby._  Arisa gives the engineer a quick glance over, wondering.  _She looks **about**  my size, maybe..._

"Kasumi, you know that dress I have? Not the one you gave me, but-"

"-ohhh, the one with thinner straps?"

Arisa's distracted briefly by a message pinging on her omni, waving in the direction of the walk-in closet, "I think it'll fit Gabby. D'you mind handling that?"

"No problem at all, Shep! C'mon, Gabby!"

Kasumi looks  _delighted_  as she pulls a slightly terrified looking Gabby into the closet, but Arisa's attention is on her comm, "Everything okay, Joker?"

 _"Totally! Just, uh, getting a little antsy."_  she can hear the nerves in her pilots voice and nearly laughs,  _"Vega and Cortez already headed out, and Kaidan said he'd share a taxi if, uh, if we're ready to go-_ "

"EDI'll be down in a minute." Arisa closes the comm and shares a look with the AI, "Your beau is getting antsy, EDI. All set?"

"Ready, Shepard." EDI smiles - a soft expression that seems almost strange on her robotic face - and nods "Thank you for all of this."

"No thanks necessary; just have  _fun_."

Arisa slides over to the door panel and activates it, letting EDI step out and waiting maybe a minute before peering out to catch Joker's reaction.

And smirking when it's exactly what she'd expected - slack jawed, a brief stammer, definitely  _affection_  in his eyes, amongst other things - watching as they loop arms and follow a still nervous-looking Kaidan out of the apartment.

Arisa catches Garrus' eye where he's sitting with Kenneth and Kal'Reegar, giving him a thumbs up and seeing his mandibles quirk in amusement before she slinks back into the room.

She's just in time, because the moment the door's closed Kasumi is stepping out of the closet with a flourish, pulling Gabby out after her "Tadaa! Fits like a glove!"

Arisa gives a whistle, "Damn, that  _does_  fit you perfectly, Gabby. Keep it. Spirits know  _I'm_  never going to wear it again."

"You sure, Commander?"

"Call me Shepard, Gabby. And yes, I'm sure. Now let's get some makeup on you and get this show going, ladies."

Kasumi all but herds Gabby to the bathroom at that, and things settle into a calm of talking and getting ready.

The thief herself seems content to go as she is - she'll likely be popping in and out of existence anyways, Arisa thinks - so she takes over doing Gabby's makeup and hair, chattering away as she does so.

Liara's dressed and ready before any of them in an elegant, floor length blue and silver gown, helping Tali situate her belts and pin her scarves.

The quarian's chattering a mile a minute, clearly excited, and Arisa kind of just steps back and watches it all, crossing her arms and grinning. Glad that she can give them a brief moment of happiness.

Asides from a knowing look from Liara, the others don't notice that she's not getting ready herself, and that's good; she wants the squad taken care of first.

Finally, Kasumi proclaims Gabby ready, and Arisa calls Kenneth on the comm, barely holding back a snicker and using her 'Commander Voice' "Kenneth I need you up here ASAP, we have an emergency."

She closes the link without waiting for a reply, Gabby standing behind the door while Kasumi's positioned in front of the switch - hitting  _open_  the moment they hear footsteps on the landing.

Kenneth freezes and goes slack jawed, stammering incoherently and turning a little red.

Gabby gives him a smile, "So? How do I look?"

"You... you look..." he clears his throat and seems to regain some of his swagger, reaching for her hands, "You look  _fantastic_ , Gabby. Truly, a sight for sore eyes."

"Good. Now let's go have some  _fun_."

Tali follows them out with Kasumi cloaking behind her, and Arisa manages to catch a glimpse of Kal'Reegar shooting to attention before there's a hand on her shoulder.

She turns, slightly confused by the look the asari's wearing, "Everything okay, Liara?"

"Perfectly fine, Shepard. I just..." Liara pauses and takes a breath and then she's being hugged suddenly, Arisa freezing in surprise before quickly returning the grip.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong? I'm seriously confused, now."

"You're the best friend anyone could ask for, Shepard," Liara gives her another quick squeeze before stepping back, taking her hands and  _gripping_ , "And it is so,  _so_  amazing what you've set up for everyone. A night to relax, a chance to... but please,  _please_  don't miss  _your_  chance. Promise me you'll talk to Garrus tonight."

Arisa manages a lopsided smile, returning the grip, "I promise, Liara. No more missed chances."

"Good." Another smile, this one mischievous, "Feron's meeting me at Purgatory, so I'd best be off. You hurry up and get ready,  _Commander_. No delaying."

"Yes, ma'am." Arisa laughs, waiting till the asari's left the room and the door's closed to turn to her own bag of goodies.

_Okay. Everyone else is ready and gone. Let's do this._

She doesn't have much to do, honestly, just get changed and put on some makeup.

Arisa strips down to her bra and panties and works at pulling the new clothes on, scowling at the loose fit of the waist band.

_Well, fuck, the one time I don't try the damn clothes on..._

She'd gone by the size she'd been  _prior_  to her lockdown with the Alliance, figuring she'd be about the same after getting back in the fight... but the gap in the waist tells her she's actually lost more weight then she'd thought, and it's a harsh reminder of how often she forgets to eat most days.

_Enough of that, Shepard. Tonight's for fun. Don't dwell on it._

The pants still look nice, they're not so loose that they'll slip, and the vest fits how it should, so overall she's fine.

Arisa grabs the bag of makeup she'd bought and heads into the bathroom, spreading her measly assortment out on the counter.

She doesn't need to bother with primer or concealer or any of that crap - Cerberus had done a fine job at giving her perfect skin when they brought her back, now fully healed, and the freckles dotting her nose and cheeks are the only 'imperfections' she has left.  _A blessing and a curse, sometimes_.

So she'd only bought a couple of things - lipstick, a small eye shadow pallet, liner and mascara - and didn't see a need for anything else.

_Who even knows if I'll get to use them again, after today._

Arisa frowns, physically shakes that thought from her head, and gets to work, starting with the eye shadow.

She  _just about_  has the smoky-look she wants when she hears the bedroom door open and Garrus' voice go "Hey, Shepard, just wondered when you - ah, shit, sorry, I should have knocked-"

Arisa can hear the nerves in his voice and can't help laughing, calling out "Garrus, if I'd cared, I'd have locked the door. Not like you can see through the bathroom door, anyways. How come you didn't go with the others?"

He makes a sound of relief, and she can tell he's moved further into the room when he speaks again, listening closely even as she focuses on getting her eyeliner right, "Naw, didn't want to leave you all alone. Kind of boring to show up to a party by yourself, isn't it?"

"Aw, how sweet of you Garrus. I'm almost done."

"Hmm." there's silence for a moment, and Arisa scrutinizes her liner briefly before grabbing the mascara, "Good job with the others, by the way. The men were all  _smitten_  - though I do hope Kaidan manages to calm down a little."

"How nervous was he?"

"Pretty bad, but I've seen the man in a fight; he'll be alright." Garrus chuckles then, "The dress Gabby was wearing, by the way. Was it...?"

"... _that_  dress? Yes. Yes it was." Arisa grabs her lipstick and starts applying it - deep,  _vibrant_  red, because why the fuck not. "I'm sure as hell never going to wear it again. May as well give it to someone who looks  _good_  in it."

"Hey, you looked  _great_  in that dress," he sounds slightly indignant, and it makes a little shiver pass through her, "It just has bad memories attached to it."

"It looks better on Gabby. Besides," finished, Arisa opens the door and poses in the doorway, cocking a hip and throwing an arm up over her head, "I like  _this_  outfit better."

Whatever Garrus was going to say cuts off with a hiss when his gaze lands on her, mandibles dropping and shoulders going stiff.

 _Good_ , Arisa can't help biting her lip, noting the way his eyes flicker to the motion,  _I picked the right look._

Black leather pants - maybe not as tight at the hip as she'd like, but still hugging her legs nicely - and a red, collared vest that zipped up the front and ended just above her navel made up the base, along with heeled combat boots and her dog tags - hanging  _just_  above her breasts and the black push-up bra barely visible above the zipper of the vest.

Garrus doesn't say anything, but his mandibles are flickering, and she could swear his sub vocals are  _humming_.

"See something you like, Vakarian?" she asks, and the husky undertone to her own voice is completely unintentional.

His eyes snap back to hers, and now there's  _definitely_  something dark and dangerous in the blue, "I see  _several_  things I like, Shepard. Have to agree; I like this outfit  _much_  better than the dress."

"Good. Now let's get going before someone gets into trouble." Arisa brushes past him, purposely bumping her hip against him as she leaves the room, taking the stairs at a brisk pace to hide her reaction to the growl she  _knows_  she didn't imagine, "Fashionably late is one thing, never showing up is generally looked down upon."

"Shepard." Garrus stops her at the door with a hand on her elbow, mandibles pulled inward and sub-vocals suddenly buzzing with nerves, "Later, can we...?"

 _Talk_ , he doesn't have to say, because she knows it, too. Knows that something has changed.

"Later." she agrees, and he slumps in relief, offering his arm to escort her to the elevator and down.

And if she grips tight and bumps against him again when they exit, who's going to say anything?

* * *

 The ride over to Purgatory is quiet and comfortable, chatting mostly about who they think  _might_  need help and who should be fine on their own.

Garrus helps her out of the taxi when they arrive and Arisa flashes him a grin, letting her hand linger in his a moment longer before leading the way into the VIP section of the Club.

The music is already pumping loudly, and the top bar and dance floor is as busy as ever - she hadn't reserved the  _entire_  VIP section, figuring it would have put people more on the spot if it was only their group in the whole area.

She can see Tali and Kal'Reegar dancing near the stairs, and EDI and Joker sitting near the upper bar - likely EDI's request, so that they could dance with somewhere close by to rest.

Ken and Gabby are - unsurprisingly - already going at it in one of the booths, and Arisa elbows Garrus and nods in their direction, sharing a smirk as they keep moving through the space.

Liara lifts her drink in a silent toast when they pass the booth she's occupied with Feron, and she grins back, happy to have given them some time to rest.

"Shepard, look," Garrus stops her with a hand on her wrist, and she has to reign in the shiver it sends through her, focusing on where he's pointing.

Kaidan headed to the lower bar, pausing briefly to say something to his booth companion - Miranda.

"Garrus, stall him at the bar. I want to talk to Miranda quickly."

Garrus' mandibles flick outward in amusement, and he nods before stalking stealthily towards the unsuspecting human, a predator on the prowl.

Arisa wonders if she looks the same, creeping over to the booth and sliding in beside Miranda with an innocent grin, "Miranda! Glad you could make it."

"Glad I could come. It's nice to just... relax a little. Before we run into hell again." Miranda's smiling, gaze locked on the bar, "You've given me the chance to... have a little fun, shall we say."

"I see you're getting along with Major Alenko," she tries to play it off as cool, detached interest, "He's a good man."

"Oh please, Shepard, I  _know_  Kaidan asked you for advice. That's part of why you arranged this outing, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Shepard, I  _saw_  you and Garrus spying on us yesterday. I'm not blind."

Arisa shrugs, grinning openly, "Is it working?"

"I'm definitely not complaining." Miranda laughs, shaking her head, "I'm not normally one to... rush into things, as you know. From what we've talked about, neither is Kaidan. But this war may end in a few days, and it may end badly. I don't want to regret not taking a chance."

"You two go well together." Arisa hums, "Take care of him, okay? I promise to keep my nose out of it from now on."

"So long as  _you_  promise to take a chance with a certain Turian, Shepard."

"Yes, I know, I'm bad at this. I promise I intend to...  _talk_  to him about things. Tonight."

"Good."

"Now then, best I take my leave so you can enjoy your night. Have fun!"

Miranda only laughs, and Arisa slips out of the booth and heads back to the bar, patting a confused looking Kaidan on the shoulder as she goes.

Garrus is looking particularly smug by the time she joins him at the bar, holding out a glass, "Wasn't sure what to get you, but the bar tender said humans like these. A, uh, 'holy water' or something?"

Arisa laughs - a light, happy noise - and accepts the glass with a grin, "Bit sweeter then what I normally drink, but a good way to start the night. Cheers, Garrus." She lifts her glass, clinking it to his, "To us. The best damn partners in the Galaxy."

Garrus' chuckle is low and husky, "Reaper Killers, Matchmakers...  _damn_ , we really are awesome."

"No Shepard without Vakarian." she mumbles, and his gaze is suddenly just a little too intense for her to hold, instead downing her drink in several long swallows and letting the burn of the alcohol distract her.

"Looking to get drunk tonight, Shepard?" Garrus' drawl rolls over her smoothly, and he's just finishing his own drink when she turns back to him, a question now in his eyes.

"No. My biotics and implants burn off alcohol to quickly for me to get drunk, really. I'm just trying to find some bravery," she's moving before he can question that, looking around, "Okay, there was one more couple to keep an eye on, where the hell did Vega and Cortez go-"

"Behind us," Garrus' voice is nearly a whisper in her ear, and she's startled to find him so close,  _I didn't even see him move._

He's motioning to the tables behind them, though, and there's Vega and Cortez, sitting close together and talking, and it's a relief to know that's one couple they  _don't_  have to worry about.

"Okay. I'd like to check in on Tali, at least. And then, maybe..."

She lets the sentence hang, sees the way his eyes focus suddenly, mandibles flickering, "Maybe?"

Arisa bites her lip again, loves the way his eyes zero in on the motion. "Maybe." she repeats, when she means  _definitely_ , and his smirk says he understands.

She turns to head for the stairs when a flicker of erratic movement in one of the booths grabs her attention, posture stiffening at the almost  _violent_  nature of it.

Garrus mirrors her, noting her stance, and follows as she creeps slightly closer, just enough to see what's going on-

And immediately wishing she hadn't.

It's just a couple in the middle of a heavy make out session - a rather  _rough_ , violent make out session, but some people liked that - and at first she's wondering how they got in here, since she had the section booked-

-before registering the tattoos covering the woman, the dented, worn yellow armor of the man, and her brain freezes.

_Jack._

_Zaeed._

_Jack **and**  Zaeed.  **Jack**  and  **Zaeed**. Cannot compute. Oh Spirits, what the hell-_

Garrus realizes at about the same time, because he coughs uncomfortably and tugs on her wrist, whispering "Is that...?"

Arisa comes back to herself with a gasp, walking swiftly away towards the stairs and nearly dragging Garrus after her. "Oh, my God. I need brain bleach."

"I don't think they've ever even  _spoken_  to each other, have they?" Garrus hums behind her, tone laced with amusement.

"I don't care. I don't want to think about it."

"But Shepard, wasn't the whole point of this night to play  _matchmaker_? I mean sure, wow, that's an...  _odd_  couple, and we didn't actually  _help_ , but... well, while on Shore Leave, right?"

"Brain Bleach!" she whines, trying not to laugh, all but slumping onto the upper bar when they reach it.

"A shot of Ryncol for the lady," she hears Garrus tell the bartender, grabbing the shot and downing it the moment it's in front of her, relishing the sting of it.

"Uh, you okay there, Shepard?" Joker's giving her a confused look, one arm propped on the counter. "See something you didn't like?"

"Joker, I am not mean enough to inflict this on you." she groans, letting her head rest on the counter again.

"Aw, you don't want to  _share_  the pain, Shepard?"

Arisa purposely lifts her head to glare at the smirking turian, reaching for the full shot glass in front of her - and cursing him for being too damn thoughtful - and downing it in response, earning another trilling laugh.

"I  _want_ ," she punctuates the words by standing up, chin in the air, "to  _dance_."

The laughs trails into a sound of surprise, his brow plates raised, " _You_  want to  _dance_?"

"Just because I'm bad at it doesn't mean I don't  _enjoy_  it," Arisa hmphs, taking a few steps towards the dance floor and glancing at him over her shoulder, "You coming? Unless you're to embarrassed to join me. I won't judge."

Okay, she'd maybe be a  _little_  upset if he was legitimately embarrassed by her dancing, but she'd never have said anything - so she's unprepared for the blossoming warmth in her chest when he immediately steps up beside her, affection clear in his gaze "Never. Lead the way."

Arisa grins and leads him into the throng of moving bodies, picking a place where her back is to the wall and they're safely away from anyone who might be  _to_  judgy.

Then she starts dancing, ignoring Garrus' amused huff and just enjoying herself despite her awkwardness, honestly not caring - until she notices the turian is mimicking her.

"You ass!" she laughs, bumping into his side, "Quit it!"

"But Shepard," he purrs, mandibles flared, "You look so  _smooth_."

"Alright, wise guy, you think you can do better? Show me."

"I'll do better than that," Garrus rumbles, and suddenly his hands are on her waist, chest close to hers, and she stops breathing when he leans in close to whisper, "I'll  _teach_  you. Follow my lead."

He starts moving again, and his hands on her help her follow - more in tune with the beat then her previous movements, matching the rhythm, and Arisa laughs, breathless.

She's content until he leans in again, breath tickling at her throat, the warmth and  _smell_  of him suddenly overwhelming, and she grips at his arms with a little gasp, suddenly wishing they were anywhere but the middle of a busy club.

"Garrus." Arisa uses her grip to pull him closer, till she can speak in his aural canal, "Can we, maybe...?"

"Yes." his voice is a growl and she shivers in response, his expression unreadable when he pulls back, "Your apartment?"

"Please."

Garrus releases her waist only to grasp her hand and tug her away from the dance floor, grip tight as he leads her down the stairs and back out of the club.

Turians are not normally a demonstrative species in public, so the fact that he keeps hold of her hand the entire way back to the taxi stand makes her heart jump and her cheeks flush.

All she can do is squeeze back and hope that, this time, she can be brave.

* * *

 “Okay," Arisa says once they're settled on the couch, drinks in hand, "I don't know where to start."

The ride back to the apartment had been spent in companionable silence, and Garrus hadn't once questioned her as she lead him to the back lounge area and went digging through the alcohol stores - drained by the party but not  _completely_  demolished.

She'd poured a glass of turian Brandy for him, mixed herself a rum and coke, and here they sat, side-by-side on the couch and sipping quietly at their chosen poison, close enough that they brushed elbows but had space to think.

"Hmm," Garrus hums, gaze on the portrait currently showcased on the big screen - the group photo glyph had taken at the party. Arisa wonders now if that hadn't been the first hint at her feelings - when instead of sitting stiffly beside him on the couch, she'd flung one arm around his shoulders and the other around Liara, her legs swung over his lap.

_Maybe that's what I should be doing now._

"Well... I guess you already started, yesterday," he says, explaining, "You confirmed that you  _haven't_  been with Kaidan or Liara, or anyone else since we met. So, to be fair... I haven't been with anyone since before we met, myself."

"No one caught your eye on Palaven, huh?" she doesn't mention Omega. Knows how much talking about those days hurts - there might have been someone on his squad he cared for, a girl he hadn't mentioned, but she would never pry into those days without him bringing it up, first.

"Can I be honest?" he asks, and she nods. "What I've felt for you hasn't been friendship in a long damn time, Shepard."

Her heart pounds, and now she  _does_  unfurl her legs to kick them over his lap, sighing happily when his hand comes to rest on her knee.

"When?" she questions softly, taking a sip of her drink, relishing the gentle pressure of his touch.

"Towards the end, probably. Just before we faced Saren. But it didn't really click until we got the news about the first Normandy." Garrus' mandibles pull in, hand gripping her knee, "I should have been there."

"Nothing you could have done." Arisa sets her hand over his, gripping.

"I thought I was seeing a ghost, when you showed up on Omega. Except it didn't make sense.  _Why are her scars different? Why is her hair shorter? Why wouldn't a ghost look the same as the memories?_ " he flips his hand to twine their fingers together, and it says worlds that he has no trouble slotting their mismatched digits together, "So I handed you my rifle, expecting it to drop to the ground and prove you weren't real. Except you took the rifle, and pulled off a headshot that only  _you_  could have done."

"I wondered why you did that," she admits, eyes on their hands, liking the way they look together, "You  _never_  handed over your rifle, to anyone."

"It worked. And then I took a rocket to the face and, well... didn't think you had a thing for men with  _scars_ , Shepard."

Arisa laughs, soft and humorless, remembering in vivid detail how terrified she'd been when he'd gone down in a spray of blue blood. "Honestly, I just have a thing for  _you_."

That makes him hum, taking a draw of his drink, "What about you? When?"

"About as long as you - no, a bit longer, actually. Do you remember that time I came running into the Cargo Hull, demanding you hide me?"

"I do, actually; couldn't for the life of me figure out why you were running from Liara, but I wasn't going to ask. You looked  _terrified_."

"I was running from  _both_  of them, actually. They'd both been dogging me all day, asking me to  _choose_... I couldn't handle that conversation, right then." Arisa thinks for a moment, then snickers, "I guess I kind of  _did_  choose, actually. I went running to  _you_."

"And here I thought I'd never be able to compete."

"Oh, please.  _You_  were the one I spent almost all of my downtime with. But things happened so quickly after we took down Saren - you went back to C-Sec, and then I died." She grips his hand tighter, gaze focused on his, "I was  _so_  fucking happy when we found you on Omega, Garrus,  _so_  happy. I'd been told you were MIA, that they didn't know if you were alive... I nearly jumped you right there, dammit. And then when you survived the rocket...  _ecstatic_."

"But you always seemed busy, during the fight with the Collectors, like you wanted to be alone... you don't know how damn  _jealous_  I felt when you told me that story about the Recon Scout." Arisa pauses, scrunching her nose, "I  _still_  kind of want to find the bitch and punch her."

Garrus barks out a surprised laugh, "Shepard, I told you that story in the hopes that you might  _react_. I was spending all that time alone trying to figure out how to talk to you about... this. And then you responded by wanting to  _spar,_  so I kind of just gave up."

"You're kidding me, right?  _I_ tried to  _proposition_  you and you missed the meaning!" she's torn between hugging him and smacking him, so she just squeezes his hand again, "I had a witty retort all ready and then I  _chickened out_  because I didn't want to wreck our friendship."

"Well, fuck." Garrus is making that rumbling sound again, setting his drink down on the coffee table, "We're both really bad at this, aren't we?"

"That we are," she laughs, relieved, "We really  _do_  make a good pair."

Something shifts between them, then, and Arisa says nothing when Garrus releases her hand to instead take her glass and set it down before reaching for her.

She sucks in a breath when he grips her waist and lifts her bodily into his lap, startled by the easy display of strength, hands finding his shoulders to steady herself as she settles straddling him, blue eyes so close she feels dizzy.

"Hi." she whispers, feeling strangely shy.

"Hi." he says back, grip tight but careful on her waist, and she knows he would let her go, if she pulled away. Knows he would never force her into anything.

As if she would ever pull away from him.

Arisa closes her eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and then looks him in the eye.

"I like you, Garrus. I like you  _a lot_." she lifts a hand to his cheek as she speaks, running her fingers over the damaged mandible, "I think I love you, honestly. And I'm sorry that that took so long for me to say."

"I love you." he says back, no hesitation in the words, that hum ever present now, "We're both to blame, I think."

She's flushed - she can feel the heat in her face, in her chest - but she doesn't care, smiling when he bends forward to press their foreheads together, sighing. "I want to be with you. Before we..."

Garrus gives her a tight squeeze at that, almost a reprimand. "We're going to survive this, Shepard." he nuzzles at her, trilling, "But I won't say no to a  _morale boosting_  night, before we charge into battle."

Arisa's laughing, throwing her arms openly around his neck now, nuzzling back at him, "Alright then, big guy. What's next?"

"Well, what would  _normally_  be your next step in this situation?" his hands are running up and down her sides, talons dragging lightly, and she can't help squirming.

"No idea." she admits, sighing in pleasure when one of his hands slides under her shirt, "Never done this before."

That makes him pause, blue eyes blinking at her in surprise. " _Never_?"

"Never." she repeats, quirking a wry smile. "Didn't want to, till now. There was this other recruit, back in basic... kind of ruined the whole appeal of sex for me."

"What did he do?" Garrus voice is more a growl then words, and his anger for her past self just makes her love him more.

"He  _tried_  to force his attentions on me. I threw him into a wall with biotics and reported him to my CO. Never saw him again, but the damage was done. Even once I got over it, there just wasn't anyone I was interested in... till you."

"That's my girl," he purrs, making her heart thump, "If I ever do anything you don't like, tell me. Otherwise, just go with what feels right."

"That I can do." she mumbles, and then kisses him.

It's a bit awkward at first, since he doesn't have lips, and his mouth plates aren't  _quite_  flexible enough to kiss the way humans do, but they make it work. His tongue slips out to run along her lips, pushing into her mouth to tangle with hers, and then they're both lost to sensation.

Her hands slip up around him, nails scratching at the skin beneath his fringe, and she knows she has it right when his hands pull her tighter against him, that purr louder than before.

He finds the zipper of her vest and tugs it open, pausing in surprise when he realizes all she has on underneath is her bra.

"Looked like another shirt," he's mumbling, mouthing at her shoulder, the lightest prick of his teeth sending heat through her.

"Let's move this to the bedroom," Arisa whispers, tugging his head back up for another kiss, "Before anyone else gets back."

"Good idea." Garrus growls, and then he's scooping her up and carrying her away, and all Arisa can do is laugh and hold on.

Arisa locks the door once they're inside, and they both strip themselves once he's set her down, drawn immediately back together as though by magnets.

They lay on the bed, side by side, exploring and encouraging, touching and teasing.

Arisa laughs when he stares at her breasts, confused - then sighs in pleasure when he shoos her hands away to play with them himself, leaning in to gently use his teeth.

She shows him how to stroke her folds, draws his thumb to her clit and murmurs softly when he takes over, back arching when he carefully slips a taloned finger inside and strokes her, building the heat.

At the same time Garrus guides her hand to the plates between his legs, showing her the hidden seam, groaning when she strokes over him.

She's enthralled by the way the seam starts to widen, the plates parting, but it's just as his cock begins to emerge that he hits  _something_  inside of her and all she can do is gasp out his name and cling to his shoulders, shivering at the sudden rush of sensation.

"Spirits you're beautiful," Garrus rumbles as she comes down from the high, licking into her mouth for another long, slow kiss that has her sighing in bliss.

"Garrus," Arisa whimpers, wrapping her arms around his neck, flinging one leg over him when he presses close, feeling his length against her belly, "C'mon, please? I want you inside me..."

Garrus makes a choked noise and then he's rolling her onto her back and settling himself between her legs, whispering "Tell me if it hurts." before beginning to push in.

And oh, fuck, does he feel good, his cock ridged and curved in a way that seems to stimulate everywhere at once, stretching her wide but never hurting, and she only starts to breathe once he's buried to the hilt, leaving her gasping and feeling so perfectly  _full_.

"Spirits, Garrus,  _move_."

And he does - being careful at first, not wanting to hurt her, moving faster once she's pleading for it, desperate for the friction.

"Spirits," he moans, thrusts becoming erratic, mouthing at her throat, " _Arisa-_ "

Her name in his voice sets her off, crying out as she's thrown once more over that cliff, clinging to him as he curses and thrusts harder, words becoming a string of growls and trills as he spills deep inside of her.

They lay like that for a while - catching their breath, in no hurry to move - before Garrus rolls off and brings her with him, purring and holding her close, mandibles spread wider then she thinks she's ever seen.

Arisa grins and kisses him, and the night passes without either noticing - to busy learning each other to care.

* * *

 Come the morning, they'll wake up and get dressed and prepare to head back to the Normandy, given something else to fight for as the final battle looms closer.

And six months down the road, when Arisa Shepard wakes up in a hospital bed with Garrus at her side - tired and scarred but  _alive_ , both of them alive - she'll press her forehead to his and laugh.

Happy that she took a chance.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments (especially comments) are love! ♥


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